AKA: Artemisia Absinthium

Also Goes by: Absinthe, Green Ginger, Absinthium, Old Woman, Southern Wood, Artemisia, Madderwort, Green Fairy, Wermutkruat

Wormwood is probably best known for its role in the distilling of the somewhat controversial alcoholic beverage: Absinthe, but it has also been used as a remedy for a number of ailments since the time of the Early Greek and Egyptian cultures (mentioned in the Ebers Papyrus c.1550 BC). The Wormwood plant is native to Europe, Siberia and North Africa , but has become naturalized in North America and England where it thrives in places that are close to the Sea. Considered a casual weed, the wormwood plant is considered a perennial root that reaches to the height of two to four feet and has leafy and flowering stems The whitish plant is covered with fine silky hairs and the leaves and flowers of the plant are extremely bitter expel the characteristic odor of thujone ,which is the essential volatile oil  in absinthe. The leaves and tops of the plant are generally harvested in July or August.

Benefits and Uses

• Eliminates worms and parasites
• Tonic for the gallbladder and liver
• Aides in gastric and vascular disorders
• Helps with Migraines
• Digestive aid
• Calms Nerves
• Stimulates menstruation
• Topical for wounds, ulcers blemishes, insect bites

Wormwood has long been used to help expel worms (pinworms, roundworms) and other parasitic infection from humans and animals. Research in the UK has shown that a new drug based on the plant compounds of wormwood called Artemisinin has been greatly relied upon to treat malaria due to the increased resistance of the parasite to more traditional anti-malarial drugs. Traditional herbalists have also used the herb as a febrifuge to lower fevers and to fight infection.

The herb contains the bitter glucoside which helps in the secretion of bile within the gallbladder and liver, making the herb a trusted remedy for liver troubles such as jaundice and gallbladder problems. Wormwood also increased stomach acidity which can help aide the digestive process and alleviate gastritis, stomach aches, bloating, and help improve a poor appetite.

The herb's absinthin content make wormwood a good tonic for the nerves, helping to ease stress and other nervous disorders. Absinthin is considered a narcotic analgesic that affects the medullary portion of the brain, inducing a relaxed state and easing anxiety and tension. This is what also makes the herb a popular additive to liquors such as absinthe and vermouth. Used in moderation, the absinthum in the hern helps stimulate the cerebral hemispheres and cortex cerebri, providing relief from migraine headaches, nervous diseases and helps sooth a nervous temperament.

Wormwood has also been used as an emmenagogue, helping stimulate the uterus and regulate the menstrual cycle.

Topically, extracted wormwood oil can act as an anti-inflammatory and be used as an liniment for sore muscles. It can also help heal wounds, skin ulcers, blemishes and insect bites. It can also be used as an insect repellent for organic gardens and put in a sachet to repel moths from clothing.

Dosage

Take one capsule two or three times a day for two weeks. Stop for two weeks before starting another regime.

Warnings

Since it does stimulate the uterus, women who are pregnant should not take wormwood since it could cause a spontaneous abortion. It can also be habit forming with prolonged use, and cause nausea, vertigo and insomnia. Children should not use it and people taking Phenobarbital should stay away from it.

coming soon....